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by Alexandra Niksic BELGRADE (AFP) - President Slobodan Milosevic appeared determined to cling to power Saturday, quashing opposition complaints over official election results and reportedly rejecting a Russian offer of mediation.
Just hours after Russia offered to mediate in the stand-off that threatened to plunge the country into post-election chaos, the U.N.'s human rights reporter for the Balkans, Jiri Dienstbier, said Milosevic had "refused mediation" by Moscow to end the impasse over the September 24th vote. Meanwhile, in the Montenegrin capital Podgorica, Vladimir Chizhov, Russia's special Balkan envoy, called for a comparison of contradictory results from the Yugoslav presidential vote, state television reported. Both the incumbent Milosevic and opposition challenger Vojislav Kostunica, backed by the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS), should "agree to compare their election results in order to establish the real facts," Montenegrin television reported. In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was ready to send Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov to Belgrade "for consultations with all the participants" in the election, warning Western powers against escalating the crisis. "If Belgrade considers it possible, we are ready to be more active in the process of resolving and coordinating the positions [of the different parties]," Putin said in comments broadcast on Russia's RTR state television. The DOS, which insists that Kostunica beat Milosevic outright in last weekend's polls, also welcomed the offer, saying that if the Yugoslav leader had rejected Moscow's offer, it confirmed that he "has something to hide." "He has gone into a shell and insists on his political stance, which is presented through the federal electoral commission," said DOS leader Zoran Djindjic. The election commission has called a run-off vote for October 8th because it says neither candidate secured an absolute majority of the vote, rejecting a DOS complaint over inconsistencies in the official vote results. DOS legal expert Nebojsa Bakarec told AFP said the opposition would now appeal its case to Yugoslavia's highest court. Meanwhile, the DOS insisted it would stage a nationwide civil disobedience campaign starting Monday. "There are no big speeches anymore, or rallies - everyone should participate in this action," DOS official Vuk Obradovic told some 5,000 supporters gathered at Belgrade's main Republic Square. Obradovic urged, "The actions should be as massive and as diverse as possible." After an hour-long rally, opposition leaders urged supporters to gather again on Monday, to ensure the smooth unfolding of their nationwide campaign. Burgeoning demonstrations and strikes were taking hold across Serbia. Some 10,000 opposition supporters marched along the streets of Milosevic's hometown Pozarevac, until recently a "forbidden city" for his foes, the independent Beta news agency reported. In the southwestern town of Uzice, food shops and green markets were open only till 10:00 am (0800 GMT), as the local radio station was flooded with faxes of various companies announcing a strike from Monday, the agency said. In Pancevo, an industrial town some 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Belgrade, 1,000 people and 500 vehicles, headed by taxi drivers, blocked the center of the city for more than an hour, the agency said. Some 5,000 people rallied in Serbia's second largest town of Novi Sad, demanding the recognition of Kostunica's "victory. Thousands also protested, sometimes blocking major roads for hours, with no incidents, in a dozen other Serbian towns, Beta reported. Unions representing 7,500 workers at the Kolubara mine in Lazarevac, 60 kilometers south of Belgrade, decided to stop work, and for the first time the town's official radio station, controlled by Milosevic's Socialist Party of Serbia, began broadcasting details of opposition activities. Meanwhile, Milosevic delivered a defiant speech during a military academy graduation ceremony, lashing out at his foes. "We have defeated foreign armies last year," Milosevic said, referring to 1999 NATO bombing campaign. "They will not dare to attack us, unless they come here with an invitation signed and sent by our inner enemies," he added, in a clear reference to the Serbian opposition, which he often brands as Western "puppets and servants." Beta reported that some 3,000 relatives of graduates were present at the event, but added "only between 100 and 150 greeted Milosevic with applause." Outside the country, a flurry of diplomatic activity continued, with the Greek government also bidding to resolve the stand-off in Belgrade, and U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright due in Paris Monday to discuss the crisis with French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine. Albright called on Moscow to recognize the Yugoslav opposition's claim of an outright election victory but also welcomed the prospect of a visit to Belgrade by Ivanov. Speaking in Iceland, she said such a visit would be a "good idea." The Russian presidency announced late Saturday that Putin had received calls from U.S. President Bill Clinton, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Italian Prime Minister Giuliano Amato to discuss the impasse, the Interfax news agency reported. |
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